1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a well fluid additive, to a method of making a well fluid additive, to a well fluid, to a method of making a well fluid, to a method of treating well equipment, and to a method of drilling. In another aspect, the present invention relates to a well fluid additive comprising a sulfurized alcohol solubilized in an alcohol, to a well fluid comprising a sulfurized alcohol solubilized in an alcohol, to a method of making a well fluid comprising a sulfurized alcohol solubilized in an alcohol, to a method of treating well equipment utilizing a treating fluid comprising a sulfurized alcohol solubilized in an alcohol, and to a method of drilling utilizing a drilling fluid comprising a sulfurized alcohol solubilized in an alcohol.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the drilling of wells to recover hydrocarbons such as oil and/or gas from subterranean deposits, it is common practice to use a rotary drilling procedure in which a drill bit is rotated at the bottom of the borehole by means of rotating hollow drill pipe which extends to the surface. The drill pipe is driven from the surface and a circulating fluid commonly referred to as a drilling fluid or drilling mud is pumped through the drill pipe where it emerges through openings in the drill bit to cool the same and is returned to the surface in the annular space between the drill pipe and the walls of the borehole.
The drilling fluid, upon emerging from the well at the surface, may be mechanically processed to remove the cuttings and other undesirable contaminants and is normally treated chemically to maintain certain chemical and physical properties of the fluid depending upon particular drilling conditions encountered. The drilling fluid after being reconstituted is normally recirculated by pumps to be forced downwardly through the drill pipe, this circulation being generally continuous during drilling. Circulation of the drilling fluid may be interrupted occassionally such as when an additional section of drill pipe is added at the top of the string of pipe or when the entire length of drill pipe is withdrawn to replace or repair the drill bit.
The drilling fluid must be capable of performing many varied functions which are required in a successful drilling procedure and therefore must possess certain desirable chemical and physical properties. The drilling fluid must have sufficient viscosity to suspend and remove the cuttings from the borehole and must have sufficient gel strength to hold solids in suspension, especially when circulation is interrupted. It also must have sufficient density to exert suitable pressure to the sides of the borehole to prevent the entrance of fluids into the borehole from the earth formation being penetrated, and it must have low fluid loss to prevent undue loss of fluid into the formation by its deposition on the borehole sides as by forming an impervious filter cake or deposit. Further, it must lubricate both the bearing and cutting surfaces of the drill bit as well as the string of drill pipe both upon rotations and vertical movement. Frequently, in the drilling of wells and especially in directional drilling, the friction between the string of drill pipe and the sides of the borehole may be sufficient to interfere with vertical movement of the pipe into and out of the hole. Such high friction between the drill pipe and the bore hole increases power required to rotate the drill pipe and the increased torque causes wear and stress on the pipe thus decreasing the drilling rate and causing the possibility of pipe twist-off or breakage.
The lubrication characteristics of drilling fluids have been the subject of many investigations. Prior art patents disclose many types of additives for use in petroleum oil based drilling fluids, water-in-oil emulsion drilling fluids, and water base drilling fluids. Also it has been proposed to incorporate an emulsifier in water base drilling fluids where the lubricating additive is insoluble in water. Many of the prior art additivies function as extreme pressure lubricants and are added to the drilling fluid primarily to lubricate the bearings of the drill bit. Some of the known prior art additives also serve to impart sufficient lubricity to the drilling fluid to decrease the friction occurring between the drill string and the sides of the borehole thus increasing the lubricity of the drilling fluid.
Many of the in oil type drilling fluids having lubricating characteristrics have been based upon mineral oils or diesel oil with the addition of additives therein to effect an emulsion. Pollution and toxic features of such materials are becoming increasingly objectional which limit their effectiveness.
For example, as in known in current practice, drilling muds based on diesel fuel oil and the like have been the primary medium for providing lubricants to the drill pipe in drilling for hydrocarbons. One major disadvantage in using such materials has been in drilling offshore and in lakes or wetlands, their polluting characteristics having caused severe logistics problems. Such diesel fuel based fluids cannot be disposed of into the ocean, lakes or wetlands because of their adverse effect on aquatic life. In such cases the diesel fuel containing fluids must be transported ashore to a suitable type of disposal or recovery system. Increasingly stringent regulation of the adverse environmental effects of diesel oil in drilling fluids requires the development of non-polluting replacements.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,761,410 discloses water based drilling fluids with increased lubricity, the water being dispersed as discreet small non-emulsified droplets in the fluid. This composition includes water insoluble alkyl alcohol, a lubricating additive consisting of vegetable oil or tall oil and a pour point depressant consisting of an alcohol or glycol.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,737 discloses a drilling mud composition for mixing with water which comprises major amounts of diethanolamine, tall oil fatty acid and imidazoline/amide mixture with a biodegradable non-polluting vegetable oil comprising a minor amount of the composition, the later to act as an emulsifier when the composition is added to water.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,136 relates to non-polluting non-toxic lubricating drilling fluid compositions which are emulsified and based upon plant or vegetable oils having extended carboxylic acids with 12 to 14 carbon chains.
While these prior art drilling fluids offer some advancement to the art, there is still a need in the art for improved well fluids, methods of treating a well fluid, and method of treating a well.
These and other needs in the art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon review of this patent specification, including its drawings and claims.